Guard-curtain for vestibule-cars.



i RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR SI v IIIIIIIIIIII IL ED PI;B15. 1911. l.109,744. Patented sept. 8,1914.

l 7 m1; llllmmlumra PLATO G. nMnRmfor GHICAGO,yIynLrivoi/s5,'

Gwinn-CURTAIN i Fort.' vns'riBUiLE-,cnns

To all 'whom t may concern i Be it known that I, PLATO Gr. EMERY, acitizen yof lthe United States," residing in Chicago, in the county ofCookan'd State of Illinois, have invented anew! and `useful Improvementkin vGuard-Curtains (for Vestibule-Cars, of which the following is aspecication. n j

This invention relates to guard curtains for vestibule cars to besuspended betweenl the arch-plates of such "cars when coupled together.In the modern practice one of these guard curtains, mounted on avertical spring roller is suppliedfor each arch plate. to be extendedand attached to a hook'on the adjacent arch plate on theneighboring'carwhen the two cars are coupled together, thus aflording protection to thepersonandfclothset forth.

ing of passengersl going 'throughthe archplates from one car totheother.` yAnd the invention consists vrin the meansvl .of/attachment ofthe curtain to the adjacent archplate at one end and to the `springroller at the other end, such attachment being-of a simple and durablecharacter, permanently operative, and not lilelyto get `outof order,

all of which will be more fullyl hereinafter In the accompanyingdrawing, which forms a part of this specification, Figure 1 is ahorizontal section taken through one'of4 the curtains embodying any"improvement,

- showing the curtain extended and attached tothe two adjacentarch-plates as when two cars are coupled together; Fig. 2 shows a frontelevation of the curtain extended but removed from both ofthearch-plates;` Fig.

' y 3,-upon a larger scale, is an end View of the spring curtain rollerto assist in/illustrating the means of attaching the curtain Vto saidroller by the reinforcing loopyFig.

Li,-also upon a larger scale-,I is -a view, partly in section, ofthehandlefrfor attaching the curtainr to they adjacent arch plate;

Fig. 5 is a hoiizontal section of the same. taken on the vline 5--5,ofFigfLg-and Figz. shows a modification of the side handle illustratedin Fig. 4.

Referring to the said drawing, the guardcurtain 10, is provided at itsfreeend with the usual hem, 11, and inclosed rod 12. The handle 13,having the split lugs 14, 14, is rigidly 'secured tol the edge of the"curtain, preferably, by slipping the lugsA over the hem and itsinclosed rod and applying rivets 15, 15, The handle, 13, has an openingspecification of Leiters patent. ,Patented sept. s, 1914 Application ledFebruary 15,1911. lSerial No..608,749.

*gate 17 guarded bya friction device, through .which guarded 'gate' it,is designed thatthe hoolnto bepresently described, may escape when thetension-orpullonthe curtain becomes excessive, thus permitting :thecurtain to bel-gathered home by thevspring roller, as forpexample whenthe cars5are uncoupled and separated. The hook,- attached tothe adjacentarch-plate, is indicated -at 18, and the gatek17, in the handle is madewide enough for the hook to pass out freely ex'- cept for the lfrictionguard device, the inner front edges of the opening, 16, being preferablyinclined as at 19, to guide the hook k16, extendingup.andfdowntoaccommodate f cars with platforms onf diifering levels,ja

tothe gate from whatever position dueto v differing levelsoftheplatformsit may happen to occupy within said opening` 'Ihe frictionguard consistsy of the springv borne balls or rounded surfaces 20, eachhoused in a tube or cavity 21,1 and backed by a spring 22 which ymayhaveqan adjusting means or screw 23 forregulating the spring pressure.The 'ball shoulderson the mouth of its cavity so'as-to beretainedfromescape, and projects beyond said mouth to engage thehook.Thesetwo spring-thrust balls one at each side of the gate or pass serveto 'hold thek hook until power 'sufficient 'to depress the springsisexerted, whereupon thel hook will crowd through. It vwill -be notedlthat this holderis not wholly a spring tension contrivancebut a compoundspring' and friction contrivance, that Vit is simplein construction ,andoperation, and.. has no part that may easily break under strain.` In themodicationl shown at Fig. v6 yinstead of the f two balls and cavities asingle' springthrust round-endfplug coperates with a -stationary i planesurface tov produce a ysimilar result.

.v The other edge4 of the curtain 10, is, or may :be, 'attachedgtothespring roller, 24, in the usual manner, winding up the spring when thecurtain is extended or `unwound, and

windingk up the ycurtain when the spring is recoiling afterthe commonfashion of such apparatus. .'Io protect against strains to which, asbefore indicated, these guard-curtains are often subjected I provideasafety loop or loops, 25 of any desirednumber or width, of leather orother flexible material, sewed or otherwise secured to the curtain vateach face ,thereof and passing around the curtain rollervas indicated.It is preferred to have the loop take the strain of the uny 11evr Bymeans ofthe peculiar spring and fric? tion guarded gate or hold for thehook at one end of the curtain and the loop guardved attachment of thecurtain tok its roller ati the jother end thereof, all danger ofdestruc-' tion of the curtain by the strainsthat o,c-; cur, as sometimeshappens when the cars are: uncoupled and separated Without unhook-I ingthe curtain, is obviated.4 Indeed, With this construction of curtain itisi-quite safeV to let the curtain take care of itself in y.un-lcoupling the cars, though to save Wearit: is of course better to unhookthe curtain and :tion guarded gate comprising spring-thrust permit it toroll up gently on-its roller.

Having thus described my invention Il claim y 1. A guard-curtain forrailway-car vestibules comprising in combination, a curtain' secured atone edge to a spring roller, thel attachmentbeing reinforced by a loopsurrounding the roller and fastened to the curtain, a handle secured tothe other edge of the curtain and having a spring-thrust frictionguarded gate forming an opening in the said handle for receiving,frictionally retaining, and permitting, .upon greater than the normalstrain due to the spring in the spring roller, the escape of the holdinghook, said reinforcing loop being adapted to withstand abnormal strainsand to prevent tearing of the curtain from the roller, vsub- 1stantially as specified. i

A latching device for railway-car vestibule guard-.curtains which isvadapted to cooperate With a hook,'said device including a handleattachable to the free edge of the u curtain and. extending in -avertical plane,

said handle having an enlarged` opening through which the hook isadapted to be placed transversely, Vthe opening being provided with acontracted mouth, the opposite edges of which .are movably mounted in avertical line andl adaptedto separateto release the hook` upon more thannormal pull, L

substantially as specified.

3. A latching devicefor. railway-car vesti--V bule guard-curtains whichis adapted toco operate'wth a hook, said device including a handleattachable to the free edge of the curtain and extending in `a verticalplane, said handle.- being provided with an enlarged opening adapted toreceive the hook transversely therethrough,said opening having acontracted mouth, one edge of said mouth comprising'a spring-thrustmember adapted to be moved in a vertical line by the hook to release thelatter upon more than `normal pull, substantially as specified.

4. Alatching device for railway-car vestibuleguard-curtains, adapted tocooperate Witha hook and consisting of a handle attachable'to the edgeof the curtain, .and provided vWith an opening to receivethe hook, saidopening being provided With a friction guarded gate for the release ofthe hook upon more than'the normal pull, saidfricmembers adapted` to belaterally moved by the hook, and springs engaging said members,substantially as specified.

5.- A` latching device for railway-car vestibule guard-curtains, adaptedto cooperate with a hook and consisting of a handle attachable totheedge of the curtain and provided `with an opening to receive thehook, said opening being provided With a friction guarded gate for therelease of the hook upon more than normal pull, said `friction guardedgate comprising a spring-thrust surface adapted to be laterally moved bythe escaping hook, and means for adjusting the spring-thrust,substantially as specified.`

' 6. Y Alatchingdevice for railway-car vestibule guard-curtains Which isadapted to cooperate with a hook, said device including a handleattachablejv to the free edge of a curtain, `said handle having anenlarged opening through which, the hook is adapted to be placedtransversely, the opening having a contracted mouth, said handle havingalso an inclinedWall 19 adapted yto guide the hook toward saidcontracted mouth, substantially as specified.

Subscribed in the'presence of tWo Witf nesses this 8th dayof February,1911.

PLATO G. EMERY.

Witnesses y PEARL ABRAMS,

H. YV. vrV. -MUNDAY.

copies" f` this Patent may ,be obtained for ive centsleach; byaddressing the Commissioner Vof' Patents,

^ Washingtonyn i Y

